Ophthalmic mounting



y 1938. R. L. WELLS OPHTHALMIC MOUNTING Filed Feb. 16. 1934 rig m ma'aafiifiwsz 9g/MZ ATT NEY Patented May 17, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to ophthalmic mountings and more particularly to the folding type of such mountings. I

A principal object of the invention is to provide improved means by which such a mounting may be compactly folded to occupy a small space.

Another important object of the invention isto provide improved means for attaching the guards whereby the guards may be adjusted as to their distance apart and as to their height.

Another object is to provide improved means for securing the rims.

Other objects are to provide improved locking means for holding the lenses securely in folded position, to provide improved means for hinging the bridge member and for holding the same in alignment.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing. It is apparent that many changes may be made in the details of construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the invention as expressed in the accompanying claim. I therefore do not wish to be limited to the exact arrangements shown and described as the preferred forms only have been shown by way of illustration.

Referring to the drawing:

Fig. I is a perspective view showing an ophthalmic mounting embodying the invention folded in place in a small receptacle.

Fig. II is a front elevation showing an ophthamic mounting embodying the invention in open or usable position.

Fig. III is a top view of the left hand half of Fig. II, with the parts extended for use.

Fig. IV is a top view showing the parts, partially folded, the two lenses being aligned and parallel with each other.

Fig. V is an enlarged longitudinal section through a portion of the bridge and a lens rim showing the pivotal connection of the bridge and the lock for the same.

Fig. VI is a cross section on line VIVI of Fig. V, showing the lock of the bridge connection.

Fig. VII is a perspective enlarged view of the rim and guard connections, the parts being shown aligned but unconnected, and

Fig. VIII is a cross section through the handle and retaining lock.

Referring to the drawing, in which like reference characters indicate like parts throughout,

I mount a pair of lenses I, Fig. II, in the lens rims or lens holding means 2. The rims are split or divided at 3 and provided with the foot piece 4, and the abutment 5, Fig. VII. The parts 4 and 5 are arranged to abut and lie against each 5 other. The part 4 is made as a hollow box with the open end 6. A screw opening 1 extends through the part 4. The part 5 is provided with the threaded screw receiving opening 8 extending thereinto. 10

I provide a guard supporting plate 9, being a bent plate having the portions I 0 and II at an angle to each other. The portion II] has a plurality of screw holes I2, and the portion II the screw hole I3. The holes I2 and I3 are threaded 16 for a purpose described later. The plate 9 is constructed so that either the part It or the part I II may be placed in the hollow box of the part 4 through the opening 6. A nose guard plate I4 having the bearing parts I5 and I6 is 20 provided with a channel box I'I adapted to receive either the portion In or the portion II, as desired, of the plate 9. The screw hole I8 extends through the plate I4 into the channel box I1 and is adapted to align with the holes in the 25 plate 9.

If the part II of the plate 9 is on the upper side it is clear that the guard plate I4 will be up higher when the part II is secured in the box I 1 than it would be if the part II was on the 30 under side as indicated by dotted lines. Also, it is clear that if the part Ill of the plate 9 were secured in the box II, the part I0 being on the upper side, and the uppermost hole I2 used to secure it in place, the guard plate I4 will be raised 5 considerably higher than if the part I I were used, and vice versa, much lower down if the part III were on the under side and the lower hole used for securing it in place in the box II. This arrangement provides means for placing the 40 guard plate I4 at various heights up and down.

If the plate I0 is inserted in the box of the part 4 and the outermost hole I2 used to secure the parts together, the guard plates I4 will be much nearer each other than if the portion of part II] 45 containing the outermost hole I2 were cut off and the innermost hole I2 used tosecure the said parts. In this way means are provided for placing the guard plates I4 at different distances between them. 50

The guards and rims are secured together by placing one end of the plate 9 in the box of part 4 and the other end in the box II of the part I4, as described, aligning the screw holes of the parts and tightening the screw I9 in the holes I and 8 55 of the parts 4 and 5 and the screw 20 through the hole IS in the part I4 and the desired opening or hole in the plate 9. The parts may be taken apart by withdrawing the screws l9 and 20. It is clear that various forms of guard plates l4 may be used, as desired, and that various sizes of plates 9 may also be used to obtain desired heights and distances between the guard plates A novel feature of the invention isto provide the plates 9 with extensions Which may becut off in order to make desired adjustments of the guard plates l4 following the principle described.

above.

The position of the point 3 of the rimconnection may be varied if desired, and either a rimmed or rimless form of lens connection may be used, as usual in the prior art. The abutment 5 may be an offset foot like the part 4 also, ifdesired, as is usual in the prior art. Various forms of prior art guards or guard pads may be-also used asrequired or desired.

The lenses are connected by her 2|. This bridge is preferably made of resilient, springy sheet spring material which may be fiexedin the vertical plane but resistant to flexing inthe horizontal plane due to its width. By flexing the bridge in the vertical plane the guards may be separated from each other to permit them to be placed on the nose, and when released the spring of the bridge will hold the guards against the nose and hold the mounting in place thereon in the usual manner of spring bridge mountings. Each lens holding. member is provided with a bridge connecting abutment 22. Adjacent each end the bridge 2| is provided with'a pivot connection 23, Fig; V and Fig. VI, pivotally securing the bridge to the. abutment 22. The underside of the bridge end is channeled or recessed as at 24, and the abutment is recessed at 25, the two recessesbeing aligned. The abutment 22 is constructed as a hollow box. Within the box of the abutment 22 is pivoted at 26 the keeper or look memberZ'l having an end projecting through the openings or recesses 24" and 25. Thekeeper or lock 21 is resiliently urged to extend through the recesses 24 and 25 by the blade spring 28, having one end engaging the inner walls of the box of the abutment 22 and the other the keeper or lock 21.

The outer end of the keeper 2 i'is bevelled as at 29, Fig. VI. This bevelled face acts as a cam surface to operate the keeper when the bridge 2| is rotated on its pivot 23. Referring to Fig. VI, if the bridge portion 2! is moved towards the left, the edge of the opening 24 on the right hand side will push against the bevel or cam face 29 of the keeper and push it downward out of the way, thus allowing the bridge end to move towards the left. If, however, the bridge end were movedtowards the right, the edge of the channel 24 would bear against the solid shoulder or face 30of the keeper and would be prevented from movement in that direction. The spring keeper keeps the bridge and abutments resiliently aligned when the mounting is extended for use;

Referring to Fig. IV, it will be noted that the left hand lens of Fig. II has retained its original position. It has been held in the left hand and prevented from movement The right hand lens has been drawn forward by the right'hand and at the same time has been drawn around in front of the left hand lens to a position separated therefrom but parallel and aligned therewith. From the position shown in Fig. IV, the right hand lens may be pushed against the left hand the bridge mem one, so that they lie snugly fitted together as shown in Fig. I. This action is due to the pivots 23 of the bridge and the action of the keepers 21. At each of the pivots 23 the bridge can only move in one direction as described above, which permits the folding operation described. When the two lenses lie snugly against each other, the back of the right hand lens fitting over the front of the left hand one, the bridge lies snugly on top of the rims,.extending.fr om. abutment 22 to abutment 22 in substantially; a horizontal plane across the top of the lenses, see Fig. I. With this pivoting the two lenses are laid compactly against each other and the whole structure occupies a minimum of space, and the guards do not interfere with each other, as one is on the right hand side and the other is on the left. The whole thing fits as snugly together as the two unmounted lenses would fit if laid one on the other. The mounting parts do not interfere with each other, whichis a unique and novel feature of this invention.

If desired, a handle and ribbon connection 3|, Fig. II, may be provided. A look 32, Fig. VIII, may also be provided to lock the two lenses together when folded. The lock 32 has the notch 33 and cam face 34. The lock 32 extends through theopening 35 in the handle 3|. Mounted in the handle 35 is the plunger 36 pressed by the spring 31 and movable by the finger catch 38. The plunger 36 has'the cam face 39 which engages the cam' face of the lock keeper 32. When the handle is fitted over the lock keeper 32 the plunger 36 is forced back by the cam faces of the plunger and lock keeper until the plunger slips under the head of the notch 33, thus locking the parts together. To release the plunger the finger catch 38 is pushed back, drawing the plunger out of the notch '33, when the. parts may be released.

When folded together, the mounting may be placed in a very small receptacle or case 49, small enough to fit easily ina mans vest pocket. It may be encased in a receptacle as small as 2% x 1% x inches outside dimensions, occupying about half the'space of a mans vest pocket. Itmay also be placed in small, highly ornamented or jeweled cases: suitable for ladies hand bags, etc. Likewise, it may be easily carried Without a case in the pocket, hand bag, or suspended on a chain or ribbon. It is so compactly fitted together and locked in such a small space that it may be easily and safely handled and stored away. Attention is directed to the fact that the bridge-member 2! is nottwisted from its normal set when the lenses are in folded position and for this reason there is no bending introduced which, in devices of this nature in the past, caused strain which distorted the bridge and changed the relation of the parts.

Another outstanding feature of applicant's invention is that it permits-the use of lenses having odd shaped contours and allows the said lenses to be snugly and compactly fitted with each-other, causing the contours to be matched with each other when the-lenses are in folded relation.

Its snugness-of fit, compactness, and smallness of size are novel and unique features of the invention. Due to these features, it'lends itself to. treatment as an article of jewelry, both in precious material and ornamentation of the mounting and its casing.

Attention is directed to the fact that although thepla-te 9 describedabove is shown as having onlytwoopenings l2 in its portion I0 andone opening I3 in its portion II, the said portions l0 and H may be formed to any lengths desired and may be provided with any desired number of openings. The said portion 9 may be made of resilient, rigid or ductile material, or difierent portions thereof may have one or more of these characteristics. The use of screw type connecting means obviates the heating and possible softening of the part 9, such as would be the case if the parts were united by solder. The part 9 may be so constructed that, in addition to its permitting predetermined adjustments of the nose guards, as described above, the said part 9 may be altered by bending after the parts are assembled. This permits the forming of slight adjustments.

From the foregoing description of the construction and operation of the invention, it will be seen that novel, simple, and efiicient means have been provided to obtain all the advantages and objects of the invention.

Having described my invention, I claim:

An ophthalmic mounting comprising two lens members, a bridge above the lens members connecting the lens members, the ends of the bridge being pivoted to the upper portions of the lens members about axes substantially parallel to the plane of the lens members, each lens member being freely pivotally movable about its axis in one direction into substantial alinement with the bridge and also in the opposite direction out of alinement with the bridge, whereby the lens members may be caused to pivot out of the said substantial alinement in the said opposite direction to approach each other sidewise in substantially the form of a 2 until the back of one lens member lies substantially against the front of the other lens member, and inter-engaging lock means provided on the lens members for locking the lens members together one over the other.

RAYMOND L. WELLS. 

